Child support · SC
South Carolina child support calculator
The 2024 South Carolina Child Support Guidelines (Regs. 114-4710 to 114-4750): the DSS schedule, Worksheet C and the graduated band of overnights.
Rules read on official South Carolina pages on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Model
- Income shares
- Income counted
- Gross income
- Shared parenting
- From 109 overnights
- 1 child, $5,000 / $3,000
- $647
- a month, rules of January 1, 2024
In South Carolina, a parent grossing $5,500 a month whose co-parent grosses $2,000 owes about $1,091 a month for two children under the guidelines that took effect on January 1, 2024. The Department of Social Services schedule lists $1,488 for two children at a combined $7,500 and covers incomes from $750 to $40,000 a month, in $50 steps; the paying parent's share follows his or her part of gross income. The state's shared-custody rule is unusual twice over. It starts only above 109 overnights a year, about 30% of the nights, and then uses Worksheet C, which multiplies the schedule amount by 1.5 before splitting it by income and by time. Between 110 and 127 overnights the order glides from the sole-custody figure toward the shared one, so 120 overnights give $976. A self-support reserve of $1,010.50 protects the lowest earners.
Guideline child support in South Carolina, per month
$647
$7,763 a year
| Combined monthly gross income | $8,000 |
| Basic obligation in the schedule, 1 child | $1,035 |
| Paying parent’s share of income | 62.5% |
Estimate under the South Carolina guideline as published, from the incomes you enter. Deviations, imputed income, other children and the judge's findings can change the order. How this is calculated.
Where the 2024 schedule comes from
Regulation 114-4750 does not print the table. It incorporates "the Schedule and worksheets" by reference and sends readers to the Department of Social Services, the Legislative Council or a clerk of court. The working copy is DSS Booklet 2819, the 2024 edition dated November 2024, whose rows match line for line the updated schedule the Department posted for the 2022 review. Compared with the previous version the ceiling moved from $360,000 to $480,000 of combined yearly income, which is the $40,000 a month the calculator stops at. Higher incomes are set case by case. Below $750 a month the guidelines also leave the court free, and expect at least $100 in most cases.
When an income falls between two rows, Regulation 114-4720(A)(10) encourages the court to "extrapolate upwardly". The calculator reads that as a straight line between the two neighboring rows, so $7,525 lands halfway between two lines rather than on one of them.
Worksheet C and the graduated band
Shared physical custody in South Carolina means court-ordered overnights above 109 for the parent without primary custody, plus real spending by both parents. Worksheet C then raises the basic obligation by half (×1.5), divides it by income, weights each parent's part by the time the children spend in the other home, and nets the two. The jump from Worksheet A to Worksheet C would be a cliff, so Regulation 114-4730(A)(3) spreads it: between 110 and 127 overnights the order equals Worksheet A minus the gap between A and C times (overnights minus 109) divided by 18.
| Overnights a year with the paying parent | Monthly support, two children |
|---|---|
| 109 | $1,091.20 |
| 110 | $1,084.14 |
| 115 | $1,038.66 |
| 120 | $976.18 |
| 127 | $860.19 |
| 128 | $854.07 |
| 160 | $658.39 |
| 182 | $523.86 |
The adjustment is yearly. A month-long summer stay does not lower the support for that month, and a parent who does not use the ordered time can be sent back to the sole-custody amount on the other parent's petition.
Shaded cells: the paying parent's income alone
The schedule's shading marks where the reserve of $1,010.50 a month applies. It covers payers with up to $1,300 for 1, $1,500 for 2, $1,700 for 3, $1,800 for 4, $1,950 for 5 and $2,050 for 6 children. In that zone, the guidelines say support must be computed on the payer's income only, and child care or insurance must not be added, because either would push the payer under the reserve. A parent at $1,450 with two children and a co-parent at $200 would have a pro rata share of $453; the shaded rule gives $448. When the other parent earns far more, the payer-alone figure can exceed the pro rata share; the regulation exists to protect the payer, so the calculator then keeps the lower share, a reading the court may not share. Child care for working parents is reduced first by a simulated tax credit, and the schedule already includes $250 per child per year of ordinary medical costs. North Carolina and Georgia treat shared time quite differently.
The South Carolina guideline this calculator applies
| Rule | South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Model | Income shares, combined monthly gross income schedule (S.C. Code Regs. 114-4710 to 114-4750) |
| Income counted | Gross income before taxes, as the state guideline defines it. |
| Official schedule | $750 to $40,000 of combined income a month, 786 rows |
| Shared parenting | Cross-credit formula from 109 overnights a year, basic amount × 1.5 |
| In force since | January 1, 2024 |
Monthly support for one paying parent, the other parent without income
| Paying parent’s monthly income | 1 child | 2 children | 3 children | 4 children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $412 | $611 | $735 | $821 |
| $3,000 | $580 | $877 | $1,055 | $1,179 |
| $4,000 | $719 | $1,091 | $1,310 | $1,463 |
| $5,000 | $814 | $1,226 | $1,465 | $1,636 |
| $6,000 | $878 | $1,316 | $1,565 | $1,748 |
| $8,000 | $1,035 | $1,534 | $1,804 | $2,015 |
| $10,000 | $1,159 | $1,716 | $2,015 | $2,251 |
| $12,500 | $1,354 | $1,986 | $2,309 | $2,579 |
| $15,000 | $1,539 | $2,255 | $2,619 | $2,925 |
| $20,000 | $1,853 | $2,732 | $3,196 | $3,570 |
How the amount is set. Where combined gross income falls between amounts in the Schedule, the court is encouraged to extrapolate upwardly to set the basic award (Regs. 114-4720(A)(10)). source
Income. Actual gross income if employed to full capacity, or potential income if unemployed or underemployed; includes salaries, wages, commissions, royalties, bonuses, rents less allowable expenses, dividends, severance, pensions, interest, trust income, annuities, capital gains, Social Security (not SSI), workers' compensation, unemployment, veterans' benefits and alimony; excludes means-tested assistance (TANF, SSI, food stamps), other household members' income and most in-kind income (Regs. 114-4720(A)(1)-(3)). Alimony paid in this action and court-ordered alimony or child support paid for other families are deducted; a credit of 0.75 x the schedule amount for other natural or adopted children in the home is subtracted (114-4720(A)(7)-(9)).
Above the table. The guidelines cover combined gross income up to $40,000 per month ($480,000 per year); above that, awards are set case by case (Regs. 114-4710(A)(3)).
Parenting time. Shared physical custody means each parent has court-ordered overnight visitation of more than 109 overnights a year (30%) and both contribute to expenses (Regs. 114-4730(A)). The basic obligation is multiplied by 1.5, apportioned by income, each share is multiplied by the percentage of time the children spend with the other parent, and the amounts are offset (Worksheet C, 114-4730(A)(2)). Between 110 and 127 overnights a graduated obligation applies: Worksheet A amount minus (Worksheet A - Worksheet C) x (overnights over 109) / (128 - 110) (114-4730(A)(3)). The adjustment is annual only and may be reversed if the time is not exercised.
Child care and health care. work-related child care net of the simulated tax credit is added to the basic obligation and shared by income the children's portion of health coverage is added and the payer receives a credit; the schedule already includes $250 per child per year of uninsured medical expenses Child care for employment or job search, net of federal and state credits, is added: above the income thresholds ($3,200/4,600/6,000/6,785/7,650/8,400 for 1-6 children) the cost is reduced by the lesser of 27% of the cost and $68 (one child) or $135 (two or more) (Regs. 114-4720(A)(14)). Health insurance for the children is added (114-4720(A)(12)). Unreimbursed medical expenses above $250 per child per year are divided pro rata (114-4720(A)(12)).
Low incomes. Self-support reserve of $1,010.50 per month. When the obligor's income and number of children fall within the shaded area of the Schedule, support is calculated on the obligor's income only, without adding the other parent's income or adjustments (Regs. 114-4720(A)(11)). Below $750 combined income, support should ordinarily be at least $100 (114-4710(A)(2)).
When support ends. Child support runs until the child turns 18, marries or becomes self-supporting, or past 18 while the child is enrolled and attending high school, not beyond high school graduation or the end of the school year after the child turns 19, whichever is later; the court may extend it for disability or exceptional circumstances (S.C. Code § 63-3-530(A)(17)). source
The state also runs its own official child support calculator; use it, or the court's worksheet, for a filing.
Worth knowing in South Carolina
- The guidelines are regulations of the S.C. Department of Social Services; the 2024 revision (State Register 48-2, Doc. No. 5145, effective February 23, 2024) sets an implementation date of January 1, 2024 and raised the top of the schedule from $360,000 to $480,000 a year. source
- The schedule itself is incorporated into Regulation 114-4750 by reference, not printed in the Code of Regulations; it is published by DSS (Booklet 2819) and on file with the Legislative Council. source
- Families with more than six children are a listed reason to deviate from the guidelines (Regs. 114-4710(B)(4)). source
- In IV-A cases, and on request in IV-D cases, DSS reviews orders every three years and adjusts them if they differ from the guidelines (Regs. 114-4740). source
- Service members not receiving a housing allotment are imputed the BAH-II amount for dependents (Regs. 114-4720(A)(3)(C)). source